Kresge Arts in Detroit selects 2017 artist fellows

The Kresge Foundation's Kresge Arts in Detroit program named nine visual arts fellows (left) and nine literary arts fellows (right) who will each receive a $25,000 award and a year of professional practice support from Creative Many Michigan.

2017 Kresge Artist Fellowship awardees

Literary arts:

Taylor Renee Aldridge, arts criticism

Benjamin Alfaro, poetry

Tommye Blount, poetry

Mike Burdick, graphic novels

Jean Alicia Elster, young adult fiction

Allie Gross, creative non-fiction

Andrew Mehall, interdisciplinary

Drew Philp, creative non-fiction

Satori Shakoor, storytelling

Visual arts:

Jeanne Bieri, fiber art

Jennifer Harge, performance art

Matthew Angelo Harrison, sculpture

Sydney G. James, painting

Nicole Macdonald, painting

Juan Martinez, metalwork

Catie Newell, installation

David Philpot, collage

Robert Sestok, painting and sculpture

Literary and visual artists from metro Detroit received a year of support and no-strings-attached funding through the Kresge Foundation's Kresge Arts in Detroit program.

Eighteen recipients, who range from art critics and graphic novelists to performance artists and sculptors, received $25,000 each through the 2017 Kresge Artist Fellowships for emerging and established artists, according to a news release.

"The fellowships, the really key component about them is that they're entirely unrestricted ... they can literally do anything," Kresge Arts in Detroit Director Christina deRoos told Crain's.

Past awardees have used their thousands to finish books or art pieces, make car payments, buy supplies or enroll in residency programs, deRoos said. Others just save the money.

"The really exciting part of that for me, as the director, is what it does is really expresses trust in artists to know what's best for them ... in their career and in their work," deRoos said.

The fellowship recipients, all from Wayne, Oakland or Macomb County, also get a year of professional support provided by Creative Many Michigan and will participate in a professional development-focused retreat. Their year starts July 12 with an awards reception.

Two other honorees — Leah V. in creative non-fiction and sculptor Austen Brantley — received $5,000 each to foster their growth as artists through the Gilda Award, which goes to emerging artists and is also unrestricted.

Kresge Arts in Detroit, funded by the Kresge Foundation and administered has given out more than $4.5 million to artists since 2008 through 177 Kresge Artist Fellowships, six Gilda Awards and nine Kresge Eminent Artist Awards.